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Callum Smith Impresses Against Tough Rebrasse in Liverpool

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Callum Smith continued his inroads through the super-middleweight division with a solid win over the tough, durable Christopher Rebrasse. Below is a full report of every fight on the televised card.

Smith topples tough Rebrasse The Liverpudlian was looking to send shockwaves through the super-middleweight division with a huge win over Christopher Rebrasse, a durable Frenchman who asked questions of George Groves last year. Smith easily took the opening round after some superb shot selection, consisting of right hands to the head, left hooks to the body and numerous sharp combinations. Rebrasse held a high guard; looking to block the majority of Smith's incoming fire which were the straight right hands that have finished a 13pt part of his 16 previous opponents. A terrific swinging left hook to the body, followed up by right uppercuts knocked Rebrasse's head back. In the third, the Frenchman began to grow into the fight and land some solid shots. Smith was often forced to back-pedal to the ropes, absorb combinations from Rebrasse but his tight defences ensured he stayed safe briefly. Concentration levels were pivotal to Smith triumphing, as Rebrasse continued to pile forward and put the 25-year old under pressure. The Frenchman landed two stinging right hands in the fourth, and continuously out-worked Smith. Surely, though, trainer Joe Gallagher and his fighter were aware that Rebrasse would eventually slow down. Although he wasn't always landing cleanly, the pure work-rate and come-forward style of Rebrasse may have raised the judges' eyebrows, earned him a couple of rounds and put his share in others too. It was a clear test for Smith, who continued to just chip away at the body of "The Iceberg" but his effort caused no effects on Rebrasse as he poured forward and absorbed everything.

For the first time in his career, Smith was being forced to box on the back foot. Even when he did unleash some of his own punches, especially to the body, Rebrasse deflected them and still blocked his own chin.

After the eighth, Smith began to take authority and remove himself from the clutches of Rebrasse. Footwork would ensure he moved swiftly around the ring and force the tough Frenchman back. Rebrasse's work-rate gradually fell, and he would begin to take more flush shots to the head.The dreaded body shots of Smith unravelled Rebrasse's defences, and continuous right hands forced the 29-year old back. However, a big breakthrough would occur for Smith as an unforgiving left hook to the body sent Rebrasse down to his knees. The gum shield fell out and the durable Frenchman was in real danger of knockout defeat.Smith was unable to make a massive statement and stop Rebrasse late, which would have always been a difficult task and the visitor managed to survive an 11th round onslaught, unleash his own in the final round and see the final bell. After a tough night's work, Liverpudlian Smith was the unanimous winner in the biggest fight of his career. Ruthless Fielding wipes out Vera

Rocky Fielding made a huge statement to fellow super-middleweights with a destructive second-round knockout of Brian Vera. Fielding took centre of the ring immediately and got behind a sharp, crisp jab. Vera looked to rough up the Liverpool man, but was continuously picked off by Fielding. The American ducked and swerved; looking for the perfect shot but left himself open for a ferocious left uppercut that sent Vera crashing to the canvas. He survived the round with only a couple of seconds to spare. In the second, Vera would find himself in real trouble yet again. After a brawl on the inside, Fielding caught the 33-year old with some stinging shots and Vera bowled side-to-side in desperation. Collapsing halfway down to the floor and leaving himself unprotected, Fielding put Vera flat on his back after an absolutely brutal left hook to the chin. The American only just made it back to his feet, but on unsteady legs he became a sitting-target for the hungry Fielding who closed in, landed multiple bombs until the referee halted proceedings. Absolutely fantastic from the Liverpudlian. Bomber Bellew stops Bacurin late

Tony Bellew returned to action following his triumph over Nathan Cleverly with a 10th round stoppage of Ivica Bacurin.

The visitor stalked Bellew around the ring early on; looking for openings and to try and test the Liverpudlian's chin. He was unsuccessful in his attempt and would find himself on the end of a sweet right-counter from Bellew after dodging a flurry of missed shots.

The Liverpool man took his time with proceedings and satisfied himself with picking Bacurin off at ease. Later in the second round, a sharp left hook to the top of Bacurin's head would sent him down to the canvas. The Croatian, on his knees, took a 13pt gulp of breath and arose to his feet. Bellew landed solid straight right hands but was unable to finish Bacurin.

As the fight progressed, Bellew continued to pummel the Croatian with the traditional jab-right combination. He used his jab itself to keep Bacurin out of range whenever he entered, but with three rounds in the books the visitor was completely jaded and lacked motivation.

Bellew was dominating the range and pace of the fight; landing various shots at ease but also taking his time when doing so. Late in the fourth, the Liverpudlian put Bacurin on the floor once again courtesy of a wicked right hand. Referee Steve Gray gave Bellew a stern telling off for hitting after the knockdown.

It became clear that Bacurin wanted nothing more to do with Bellew, and continuous slumps onto his stool exemplified that. His corner-men, however, attempted to pump him up but slow, sluggish shots later in the fight just continued to miss.

In the tenth and final round, Bellew pinned Bacurin up against the ropes and smashed the Croatian with a brutal right hand. He immediately backed up, and cruiserweight contender Bellew followed it up with another straight right. Sweat flung off Bacurin's skull; exemplifying the brute force of the Liverpudlian's power.

He survived the count and looked set to remarkably hear the final bell, however his hopes were dashed after a savage uppercut from Bellew rocked Bacurin and would finally cause Steve Gray to halt proceedings.

Malicious Murray batters Beroshvili

Martin Murray marked his super-middleweight debut with a superb second-round knockout of George Beroshvili.

The St Helens man made a sharp start; landing some solid right and left hooks to the body. Murray was also a big middleweight, and he has stated he feels very comfortable at the weight. He brought hand-speed to the table also; catching Beroshvili off guard with a variety of shots.

The Georgian was already in defensive mode, but in the second his defences were unable to prevent a stinging left hook to the body. He immediately dropped to his knees gasping for air, and stayed down for the full 10 count; handing Martin Murray a knockout victory on his very impressive debut at super-middleweight. Martin recovers from early knockdown to stop Needham

In the first fight of the night, English light-welterweight champion Tommy Martin recovered from an early knockdown to stop Terry Needham in the seventh round. Martin had previously never faced a southpaw, but a new stable-mate in his gym allowed him to get some experience against one under his belt. Following his big win over Ricky Boylan in January, the 21-year old took centre of the ring immediately and got behind his jab well. Needham tends to try and blitz opponents out early, but has also been bombed out himself on several occasions. The Liverpool fighter scooped the first round under his belt after putting Martin on the canvas late in the session. The English champion immediately got back to his feet and insisted that it was a slip and not a true knockdown. The referee shrugged his claim off and his decision stood. To most people's surprise, Needham backed up his solid work in the second. He pushed Martin onto the ropes and unleashed some great three-four punch combinations. Martin looked extremely tentative and unsure what to reply with, but a wicked left hand later in the second brought back some much-needed confidence. Needham continued to push Martin back and occasionally land flush, which always provoked a reply from the champion who also dug deep and landed some stunning counter punches. Martin would stop Needham's momentum the odd time with some solid combinations, but his jab still remained tentative.

Although the third round was probably Martin's best of the fight, Needham replied with more smart work on the attack. The 28-year old did however become slightly jaded towards the end of the session, as Martin landed some solid right hands. It became clear that as the fight progressed, Martin was gaining more confidence and sitting behind the jab well. The English champion forced Needham back and gradually broke his defences down; snapping the Liverpudlian's head back on several occasions. The composure, intelligence and maturity of Martin impressed many, as not once did he panic early on due to Needham's quick start. Despite starting very slowly and tentative, Martin turned the fight around and was confidence began to flow. The jab kept Needham out of range, and terrific combinations would also make their mark on the 28-year old. A cut had appeared on the right eye of Needham, and he was gradually falling apart as the fight progressed. Bursts of shots pinned him back onto the ropes, provoking continuous look-ins from referee Steve Gray. In the seventh, Needham immediately staggered after a solid right hand from Martin landed clean. The 21-year old champion took a few seconds to realize he had his man in deep trouble, but he soon followed it up with a flurry of punches before Steve Gray stepped in and stopped the contest.